Don't fight the Environmental movement-- Buy your own.
Such should be the slogan of companies like Suncor, Syncrude, Synenco and others. At gatherings in indigenous villages along the Athabasca watershed, one will see their "sponsorship" all over the place. The billboards on the way into Fort Muck make clear that "oilsands mines can provide good habitat-- ask a toad". They give (polluted) bison meat to elders. They sponsor "cultural events". They are a part of the community, your neighbour, and then they destroy everything resembling a community, and make tens of billions of dollars in the process?
Tens of billions? Yes, each year (last year's figures in the tar sands were over $20 billion in profit). But that's okay-- it costs very little to protect billions, in relative financial numbers. They pour money into "conservation" projects, we then spin our wheels and get addicted to the cash. After that? Profit, destructions of rivers, communities and the atmosphere.
Let's estimate annual profits of, say, ten billion.
That looks like: $10 000 000 000.00
Then, "charitable contributions" announced below of $11.1 million.
That looks like: $11 100 000.00
subtract the second from the first:
$9 988 900 000.00 is left over.
Sounds like a really good investment to me, but then I'm no broker.
--M
Suncor Energy invests $11.1 million in charitable and non-profit groups
All figures in Canadian dollars
CALGARY, Feb. 7 /CNW/ - Suncor Energy today announced it invested
$11.1 million in more than 900 charitable organizations and non-profit
groups
in 2007. Approximately $8.2 million of that total was invested through the
Suncor Energy Foundation, which supports charitable organizations in Canada.
An additional $2.9 million was invested by different Suncor businesses
through
cash and in-kind contributions.
"We believe it's important to give back to our communities by sharing
the
benefits of our growth," said Sue Lee, Suncor's senior vice president of
human
resources and communications, and president of the Suncor Energy Foundation.
"We are proud to be able to recognize our employees' community involvement
and
support the organizations which are creating vibrant, healthy communities."
<<
Suncor's and the Suncor Energy Foundation's investments in 2007 were
focused in four priority areas:
- $5.4 million for community projects, including programs that support
Aboriginal initiatives
- $2.7 million for educational programs, specifically in skilled
trades, science and technology
- $2.4 million for environmental initiatives including conservation
projects and community education initiatives
- $600,000 on behalf of employees who volunteer and fundraise in their
communities.
>>
The Suncor Energy Foundation celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2008.
Over the past decade, Suncor and the Foundation have invested more than
$57.5 million in charitable and non-profit organizations.
"This total represents a significant investment in our communities and
is
a sign of our long-term commitment to supporting social well being," said
Lee.
Suncor Energy Inc. is an integrated energy company headquartered in
Calgary, Alberta. Suncor's oil sands business, located near Fort McMurray,
Alberta, extracts and upgrades oil sands and markets refinery feedstock and
diesel fuel, while operations throughout western Canada produce natural gas.
Suncor operates a refining and marketing business in Ontario with retail
distribution under the Sunoco brand. U.S.A. downstream assets include
pipeline
and refining operations in Colorado and Wyoming and retail sales in the
Denver
area under the Phillips 66(R) brand. Suncor's common shares (symbol: SU) are
listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.
The Suncor Energy Foundation is a private, non-profit charitable
foundation established by Suncor to receive Suncor's contributions and
support
registered Canadian charitable organizations.
BACKGROUNDER: Suncor Energy 2007 community investment highlights
All figures in Canadian dollars.
Community investments by Suncor Energy and the Suncor Energy Foundation
in 2007 included the following projects:
<<
Community:
- $44,000 to the Hub on Wheels program of the
Hub Family Resource Centre in Fort McMurray. This program allows
family resource services to be offered in a much wider area of
the
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
- $25,000 to the Edson Daycare Society in Edson, Alberta, to help
provide much-needed daycare space in the community.
- $300,000 over three years to Ghost River Rediscovery to help
establish the Canadian Indigenous Centre west of Calgary. This
Centre helps deliver programs to develop young leaders who are
grounded, able to work respectfully across cultures and have a
positive vision of the future.
- $185,000 to the Bluewater Trails Committee in Sarnia, Ontario, to
extend the current multi-purpose trail system in Sarnia.
- $2.7 million from Suncor employees and the Suncor Energy
Foundation for United Way campaigns in communities where Suncor
operates, including Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie,
Fort McMurray, Sarnia, Toronto and Denver.
Education:
- $100,000 to the Science Alberta Foundation for a science festival
in Fort McMurray.
- $300,000 over two years to support ACTUA science day camps for
Aboriginal youth in Alberta, northeastern B.C. and southern
Ontario. This national charitable organization provides hands-on
learning in science, technology and engineering.
- An annual $100,000 investment in the Process/ Power Operator
Program at Keyano College in Fort McMurray to increase student
capacity. Suncor has invested in this program since 2001.
- $10,000 to the English as a Second Language Program of the
Cross Community Coalition in Denver, Colorado, to support the
integration of new immigrants into the community and workforce.
- $100,000 in scholarships through the National Aboriginal
Achievement Foundation for students studying engineering, science
or business in Canada, and for trades and technology
post-secondary programs.
Environment:
- $151,000 to Denver's Greenprint Tree by Tree and Mile High
Million
program to help plant one million trees by 2025.
- $125,000 over two years to NatureServe Canada to help advance
scientific understanding of the Western Boreal Forest.
- $120,000 over three years to Learning for a Sustainable Future to
support education for sustainable development initiatives,
including youth forums and provincial working groups, across
Canada.
For more information on the Suncor Energy Foundation and Suncor's
community investment activities, visit www.suncor.com/community
.
